Where Do We Belong?

I remember when Lydia and I were planning on getting married, and friends and family members were going to throw a bridal shower for Lydia. I had not gone to any bridal showers that I was aware of, and I was kind of indignant that I was being left out. I said, "Hey, why am I not invited? I'm getting married too. This shouldn't be a bridal shower. This should be a wedding shower, and it should be both of us there." The ladies who organized it decided to indulge my ignorance and invited me. I remember spending the first 10 minutes in that wedding shower, where I was pretty much the only guy there, and I realized real quick why they call it a bridal shower. With lots of ladies there, talking about different things with the wedding, I thought to myself, "I do not belong here." I felt so out of place. So, let’s just keep calling it a bridal shower.
 
Has there ever been a time when you didn't feel like you belonged? Has there ever been a place where you didn't feel like you fit in? It can be a challenge. It may cause you to feel ostracized.
 
First Peter was written by Peter while he was in Rome. He was writing to a group of people, not just one church, but a group of people who were in several different colonies of Rome who were believers. Some had Jewish backgrounds, some had Gentile backgrounds, but all of them were beginning to experience suffering and persecution for their faith. Peter is writing about this intense persecution that he and others were experiencing. According to Church history, that persecution in Rome would ultimately lead Peter and his wife to be martyred for the cause of Christ. They experienced great persecution and were sent to their deaths, proclaiming Jesus as Savior and risen Lord. A couple of years before this ultimate martyrdom of Peter and his wife, persecution began to intensify in Rome. Peter also heard about the persecution that was happening in these Roman colonies.
 
Why were Christians suffering persecution? First, Nero burned down many parts of Rome so he could rebuild it the way he wanted. When citizens grew upset about it, Nero blamed it on the Christians. They were easy targets because they were a group of people that the Roman citizens really didn’t understand. He would ultimately call Christians “atheists.” Why? Because they wouldn't worship the Roman gods or deities that the other citizens would worship. So, they would point to Christians and say, “Who are these people? They don't even acknowledge our own deities. They must be atheists.”
 
Second, Roman Christians were accused of being cannibals. The confusion came from the practice of the Lord’s Supper, also known as communion. In John 6:53, Jesus told His followers, “Unless you eat My flesh and drink My blood, you do not have life in you.” This was a symbolic statement, but outsiders viewed it as literal. Jesus instituted Communion, when He said, “Take, eat. This is My body, which is broken for you. Take, drink. This is My blood poured out for you” (see Matthew 26:26-29). Jesus was referring to our identification with His sacrifice on the Cross. However, the Roman citizens would overhear them and think they were cannibals.
 
Third, they would call the Christians incestuous, believing they were marrying their own siblings. Why? Because, those Christians would greet one another, referring to one another as “brother” or “sister”. Ultimately, they would marry, and so there was the accusation of incestuous marriages. Of course, all of these were misconceptions about first-century Christians. Imagine the context where being a believer meant that you were misunderstood for your convictions. Of course, we don’t have to imagine it, as it is part of our daily lives living in this country. Our faith is misunderstood. We stand for truth and are misunderstood by secular society.
 
Well, First Peter begins his letter to Christians who are scattered in Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey) in this way:
 
1 Peter 1:1-2a (NKJV) – “Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To the pilgrims of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, elect according to the foreknowledge of God…”
 
Verse 1, in most English translations, reads, “To the pilgrims…” lists all of the places, and then verse 2 begins, “elect according to the foreknowledge of God.”  However in the Greek text, it actually says, "To the elect pilgrims" or "elect exiles" or "elect sojourners" - however you want to translate the word "pilgrims."
 
The Greek text reads "elect pilgrims," and then goes on to describe the dispersion in Pontius, Cappadocia, Bithynia, and other places. That means that God is sovereign even over where He has placed you. You may say, “Well, God doesn't know where I am.” God knows exactly where you are. You may say, “Well, I'm in this environment at work or school where I'm the only Christian.” God knows, and in that place, He calls you one of His “elect pilgrims.”
 
Sometimes, as Christians, we find ourselves in situations where we say, "I don't belong here. I don't fit in. I don't understand why I am experiencing suffering or persecution, or why people will not try to understand my Christian faith.” However, the truth is that you are a citizen of heaven. You are a pilgrim, a sojourner, and a refugee traveling through this world.
 
Peter reminds the people of God who are dispersed in places like Pontius, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia that He knows where they are but they are not citizens of those places. Even though they may be citizens of Rome, their true citizenship is in heaven. Paul expresses the same idea in Philippians 3:20, when he says, "Your citizenship is in heaven." Even though Paul was a proud Roman citizen, he knew that his true citizenship was in heaven.
 
When traveling internationally, you might feel like you don't belong because you are not in your home country. Similarly, as believers, we are not made for just this place. So, when you feel like you don't belong or fit in, remember that it's because you were made for another world. You are just passing through this earth, and your true home is in heaven.
 
“Dear God, thank You for helping me see life from Your perspective. I trust You with my life. Thank You for loving me and saving me. May I remain faithful to You as I look forward to heaven. In Jesus’ name, amen.”

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